Hundreds of activists rally against Police Bill in Bristol
Activists are taking to the streets in "Kill the Bill" protests, calling on the House of Lords to reject the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill
Last updated 15th Jan 2022
Demonstrations have been taking place in Bristol today, as well as other cities across the country such as London, Coventry, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Plymouth.
The action comes ahead of a crucial vote on the bill by peers on Monday.
Protesters describe it as a draconian crackdown on the right to assembly, freedom of expression and other civil liberties.
In Bristol, many hundreds marched from College Green. They gathered at 1pm and began their march at 3pm. Protesters were chanting "kill the bill" and carrying banners reading "protest the heartbeat of democracy" and "everyone welcome".
Joe Holdsworth traveled from Plymouth today to attend the Kill the Bill protest in Bristol, saying: "I'm hoping to achieve that the general public, which seems to be completely unaware of this bill, will actually stop and take notice, and read what it's about."
Meg from Bristol said she was here to fight for her right to protest, "It will be really, really bad if it went through, because they're trying to push so many things through this one bill.
"There's a lot of other stuff going on in the media, so it's not getting enough attention as it needs to be. It's scary, it's really scary."
She said she had a message for Priti Patel, "You're a human being. Can you think like a human being, and make decisions on behalf of behalf of being kind to people?
If you based law on kindness, things would be a lot easier and happier for people."
The Bill would put protesters at risk of lengthy prison sentences and hefty fines for actions that cause "serious annoyance", which could be done just by making noise.
It would expand stop and search powers, and new laws against residing on land without authorisation with a vehicle would effectively criminalise gypsy, Roma and traveller communities.
Amendments added to the bill by the Government in the House of Lords in November make obstructing major transport works a criminal offence and would equip police with the power to ban named people from demonstrating.